


Starting a new life

by Lady_Rosa



Category: Versailles (TV 2015)
Genre: Abortion, Adoption, Canon Divergence, Claudine Masson survives, Claudine survives, Dead Babies, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, POV Claudine, POV Fabien, Poisoning, Prostitution, Unplanned Pregnancy, Violence because Fabien, catholic/faith based opinions on suicide, he is his own warning, mention of possible suicide/murder, moral and ethical dilemma, no kittens were harmed by Fabien, slightly overprotective Fabien, torture (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:13:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23065294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Rosa/pseuds/Lady_Rosa
Summary: After being attacked in S2E6, Claudine is left for dead. As luck would have it, Fabien arrives just in time to save her with unconventional methods.
Relationships: Claudine Masson/Fabien Marchal, Claudine/Fabien Marchal
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	1. Surviving

**Author's Note:**

> For International Womens Day I did a story where a woman survives when in canon of the series she dies. A death which I hate even though it makes sense for the plot. Still she does not deserve to die. The writers should have done something different, they didn't, so I did! 
> 
> The title comes from the conversation in Claudine's house when Fabien tells Bontemps he is leaving and taking Claudine with him, after the King fires him and Bontemps begs him to come back. Here she survives and they get a chance at a happy end.

Claudine was in pain, great pain. That fils de putin had force fed her the poison. She just knew, she was going to die. Hold on, she said to herself, hold on until he gets here and you can tell him. She felt the strength leave her, when she heard the door open. Did the creep come back to finish the job? Or was it Fabien? She heard a knife clatter and someone gasp. Then she felt familiar arms around her torso, holding her close. Fabien, then.

“Poi...” she gasped. 

“Sssh.” he said, trying to calm her.

With all her strength she pushed him back and held up the red rosary and tried again to say: “Pois...”

“Poison? You were poisened? Who poisoned you?” he asked back. If she weren't so weak, she would have gotten annoyed. She nodded and stared away, hoping he would follow her gaze to the small pile of vomit she had brought up, before the effects of the poison made her too weak. 

“Oh, you poor thing, you vomited.” She glared at him. And tried to raise her hand so she could get a finger back in her mouth to activate the reflex in her throat. Hopefully he would finally get a clue and do something useful. Suddenly she gasped in pain coming from her midst. He had punched her! And another one, right above where her digestive apparatus was. She felt the nerves in her body contract and bile rise in her throat. She made a vomiting noise and he helped turn her to the side, while apologising for hurting her. She was weak from exhaustion and exertion after she stopped vomiting. She hoped enough of the poison was out of her body. She felt so weak, it was hard to keep her eyes open. She would have to remember to thank him for his swift and brutal action. She now had a chance to survive.

When she awoke, every muscle in her body hurt, even though she wasn't lying on the floor any more. He sat at her side on the bed, holding her hand. She gave a small squeeze and he reacted startled and then he sighed relieved: “Oh god. Thank you, you're alive.” 

He waved to a young girl, standing by the fire. She brought a bowl of soup to him and then helped him getting Claudine propped up with some cushions so she could eat. The movement hurt and she groaned in pain. He broke eye contact and looked away. She gave another squeeze, trying to reassure him without words, she was alive and that was all that mattered. He looked back, reached forward to put a lock of her hair back behind her ear and let his hand linger on her cheek before he began to feed her from the bowl. He wasn't good at it, the spoon hitting against her teeth. He definitely had his skills elsewhere. 

“Sleep, You will find me here when you wake up.” Fabien said, when the bowl was finished. Secure in the knowledge she was safe with him at her side, she slept calm and deep. She woke when she heard voices. “Thank you, Claire.” - “De rien, Monsieur. She helped my brother when he was sick during the winter and we couldn't afford a doctor.”

Merde, she was too weak to stand by herself. She needed to relieve herself and didn't want to sully the bed. She focused and gathered her strength, then put on foot on the floor. That almost exhausted her. Still, she pressed on. The second foot was on the floor. Now to get up. She groaned in pain. Her stomage hurt where the blows had landed. The conversation stopped and she heard footsteps.

“Silly woman. You are a doctor. You should know better than to get up so soon and without help.” He hooked his arms beneath her shoulders and her knees and gathered her up. After she relieved herself, he took her back to the bed. Once again he fed her, as she was too weak and had a terrible tremor as an after effect of the poisoning.

He didn't ask about the poison, which was unlike him. He liked to know what was going on, if only to protect the King; so she tried to tell him about what she had found out when she had been attacked, but before she could finish her sentences he said to keep silent. “Otherwise my sense of duty and honour would command me to act and I do not yet wish to leave your side. I will ask for this information once you're fit and able to protect yourself again.”

She nodded tired after the conversation and sank down into the cushions, observing him as he sat at her bed, holding guard. He looked so protective and she had a feeling that if the King called him back right now, he would refuse to go. 

It took her a few days to get back to strength to be able to move around her own house. Fabien was at her side all the time, helping her stand and walk, feeding her when the tremor got to strong (he even got better at it, not smashing her teeth all the time). Claire came by once or twice a day to help with the cooking and cleaning even though Fabien was perfectly capable of cleaning up after them. Once when he helped her wash herself, he saw the bruise on her stomage and almost crumbled in despair.

“I hate what I had to do. Please don't get poisoned again, Madame.” 

“There are other ways to induce vomiting, Fabien.”, she said, trying to reassure him. “Besides, I'm alive, thanks to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claudine never should have died. So here she survives and lives on.  
> Thanks for reading  
> Please let me know what you think


	2. A dead Priest

It was only when the doctor didn't show any symptoms of the poisoning anymore, he asked her about the poison. Claudine told him about the Akar Saga beads of the rosary she found and stole from the herbalist next to the whore house in Paris. According to her, it was very poisonous, even in small doses. It was only because she had the piece of mind to vomit upon her attacker, whom she hadn't recognised, leaving, she even survived. She had been near death and he hated himself for hurting her when all she had ever done was helping him. Even if it was to save her life. 

More than ever he wanted to find the one who had almost succeeded in murdering the best thing in his life. She was clever and strong, not afraid to order him or his men around in a crisis, thus saving lives. He wished he had the resources to protect her better, but since he had been relieved of his duty, he only had one sword left to defend her, his own. 

When Bontemps came to find him one early evening to tell him of the Queens summons, Fabien hated that the doctor could not come with him as the Queen only wished to see him. Claudine would not agree to lay low, to not leave the house and had gone about her daily business, gathering herbs in the nearby woods, seeing patients as well as mixing medicines and even investigating the poison again. He would normally go with her, saying he enjoyed her company but he suspected she knew he was not telling the whole truth. He wished he could order her to stay safe at her home, yet also knew she would never accept it. Claudine was a doctor first and foremost. 

While he followed Bontemps to the palace, he wondered what the Queen wanted done. He would have to tread carefully if she wanted someone gone. He was no longer the Kings Head of Security and could just make uncomfortable people disappear. But apparently Father Pascal committed suicide and she was convinced there was foul play. He admitted, in his head, it sounded suspicious; it was a sin to take ones own life as much as to take another’s, without just cause. It seemed unlikely that a Priest would do such a heinous thing. After promising he would look into it, he left for the morgue of the church. Apparently the priest had hanged himself and the corpse was not yet buried and probably would not be for quite some time as the Church would also examine the matter and discuss what to do with a catholic priest committing suicide. 

Fabien wished the doctor was there with him, she knew far more about the intricate causes of death and symptoms of illnesses than him. He mentally catalogued all he could see, so he could ask her opinion and then he asked the altar boy assigned to assist him whether there had been anything suspicious on his clothings or nearby when he was discovered. Nothing but a white lily and the letter written in the Priests hand. A letter could be forged or written under duress. Nothing really to conclude either way – suicide or murder.

It was late and he could do nothing good by staring at the corpse, so he hurried back to the village. He was grateful the doctor let him sleep in her house otherwise he would have to stay at the local pub and he much preferred her home, where it was reasonable safe. He had made many enemies while being the Kings Head of Security and with all the talk about poisons he didn't feel safe staying and eating somewhere he didn't prepare the food or oversaw its preparations. 

When he arrived at her house, it lay silent, dark and empty in the dusk which caused him to worry instantly. He swiftly entered the house but no one was inside. But also no sign of a fight. Had something happened to her? Since she was rid of most of the poisons after effects, she would conduct her studies of the human anatomy long into the night in the shine of a candle, unless she was called away in her capacity as midwife or doctor. It might also be an abduction, given that he hadn't found the poisoner yet and brought him to justice. He hurried outside, looking for clues that would indicate what had happened.

He saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye and had his gun and sword drawn before he even had thought about it. “Is this how I should expect to be greeted after dark now?” A voice, her voice asked, amused. He shook his head. It reminded him of the first time they made love. She had come home to him sleeping in a chair in her kitchen and the first thing he had done upon waking was throwing her to the floor, restraining her with his body. She had been amused then, too. And willing. 

“Where have you been, Madame?” he tried not to sound too worried or even accusing, knowing she wouldn't tolerate it in the least. When her eyes narrowed angrily, he realised he had failed. “The butcher's wife had gone into labour in the early evening, so they sent for me.”, she answered curtly and stepped by him into her house, her arms heavy with her satchel. Her hand was on the door as if to close it in his face and he waited for her to decide, then she sighed and stepped back, leaving it open. After a moment, he gladly followed her inside. 

“Let's not quarrel”, he heard from her workplace, where she put the satchel and began to unpack it. She sounded tired and somewhat resigned. “Can you get me the kettle, s'il te plaît?”

He took the kettle, he knew there was almost always hot water in her house to clean the various instruments she used in her daily work before there could be a developing miasma and pollute her home or her patients homes. In the flickering light of the candle he watched her as she cleaned something which looked like one of his interrogation tools, it was some kind of tongues, she called it a forcipes. It was to get the baby out of the mother, when it was stuck and the mother too weak to press and push any more. She hated using it as it almost always damaged the mother. Beside her lay some scissors and pincers, already cleaned. A small knife was next.

When her instruments were clean she took off her bloody and dirty clothings and washed herself while he watched. He'd like to join her but knew from experiences she wouldn't allow touch until she was and felt clean again. He settled on her bed, slowly getting rid of his own clothing. She joined him when she was finished. 

Afterwards, they talked and he held her as she told him about the birth and of her hunch about the baby that she couldn't tell the family lest she be accused of being a witch. “Its skin was salty. The bébé will likely be sickly and died prematurely.”

“How do you know?” he asked, curious. 

“It's common knowledge among the sagefemmes.” she answered sadly. “Bébés with skin that is salty mostly just don't thrive. Nobody knows why.”

It was still amazing to him that she would trust him with such details about her work, details that could easily land her on the pyre, burning as a witch. Women with knowledge about life and death were considered dangerous by the masses and he didn't want to see her burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed it,  
> stay safe and healthy all of you and wash your hands!
> 
> I'll probably update every sunday for the time being


	3. Dead nobles

Fabien wasn't happy to be called back into service, Claudine knew. That evening he had cursed that the King had ruined their picnic, coming in like that and asking him to find whoever poisoned the nobles around and in the palace. She swore to herself to keep silent about how Fabien had talked to the King, it had bordered on insolence. Yet the King hadn't commented on it, didn't even seem angry. Still even with all his frustration and anger inside, her lover would not disobey a summons from the King. She suspected he was secretly glad to have a purpose again apart from his investigations into her attacker and the dead priest. 

She understood his frustration all too good. The picnic had been a nice idea, a getaway from both of their works. They both had been busy, he with the investigation, she with all the injuries, births and illnesses going around the village. Even with Fabien accompanying her when she went into the wood, gathering herbs or going to one the maisons de tolérance at Paris, they were not relaxed, her mind often on medical matters like the maladie polonaise or that tenacious cough the miller's son had developed during the last month. 

They must have made a strange sight, when they arrived at the palace, Fabien and her side by side, him holding the basket Claire had prepared for them, she for once without her male attire and medical sachet. The newest bodies, the late Monsieur and Madame Maquet, according to Bontemps, were already down in the cellar, out of the sight of the curious nobles. Just like with Father Pascal, Fabien let her examine the bodies. Unlike the priest, she could tell the cause of death fairly easily and without having to cut open the bodies, not that she had been given permission in the case of Father Pascal. The Church as well as the Queen had disapproved of such an action.

“Poison.” 

He looked at her, a question in his eyes. She shook her head, it wasn't the same on as the attacker had used. In the meantime, Fabien was looking through the things the servants had stripped of them. A guard gave him a letter that was found on Monsieur Maquet. “No murder comes without a cost.” he read out aloud.

Fabien ordered Bontemps to get him the records of Death to prove his suspicions, that the dead couple had been blackmailed over a premature death in their extended family. Claudine had little doubt, most of the time, he was right about things like that. Before Bontemps could leave, she ordered him to get the servants that had moved the corpses to thoroughly wash their hands, faces and if possible their entire bodies as to avoid poisoning and if they so much as found a rash to come to her house to get treatment. 

“You think the bodies are dangerous, Madame?” Fabien asked after Bontemps had left to do their biddings.

“Not really, but it might give me a change to find out what poison was used, if I see the symptoms of smaller quantities.”, she answered. “Besides I don't think they should suffer just because of some intrigue between the nobles at court.”

A servant brought the requested records and they began to read in silence. This wasn't not the way she hoped to spend the evening, in the detectives office which was in the cellar near where the corpses were stored until the burial and close to the dungeon. Low painful moans came from there and she shifted uncomfortably. She knew Fabien would not let her treat the criminals because of the inherent danger it posed for her life and it didn't sit well with her. She also suspected he didn't want her to see more of the damage he caused to these people, lest she be afraid of him. Her thoughts turned back to their first real interaction and his first gift for her collection. How things had changed since then. Her father would almost certainly not approve of them, but there were many things her father hadn't approved of, that she had done (and still did) when he had been still alive, like treating everyone that came to their doors, whether they had money or not. For her it was a matter of “noblesse oblige”.

She turned her attention back to the records before her. It seemed like every other noble family had recent deaths on records and not all above suspicion like old age or a long sickness. As luck would have it, Fabien soon found what they were looking for, an older cousin of the wife died recently and under fairly suspicious circumstances, leaving the now dead couple a substantial amount of wealth. He then spoke with a few servants to keep an eye out for fishy offers and materials getting in the palace. 

On their way home, they crossed paths with the Duchess of Cassel, Sophie née de Clermont, the daughter of the woman who poisoned him a few months back, soon after the black child had been born at the court. She hadn't asked what had happened to the black bébé and Fabien hadn't offered any informations. The now-back-in-office Head of the Kings Police and Security Force asked the Duchesses to keep her eyes and ears open in the salons, where he couldn't roam as freely as he wished to gather information. The woman didn't look too happy with the assignment and she suspected Fabien held something over her head to get her to do his bidding. 

The next day she was scheduled to go once again to the maison de tolérance at Paris, the women there needed all the care she could provide. Many were sick and it was hard, living in these conditions. She packed her satchel and Fabien once again insisted on going with her. He wasn't as inconspicuous as he thought. Her lover might be interested in medicine and healing, the trips to the woods to gather herbs and him staying at her house, watching her mixing salves for coughs, colics, warts, headaches, règles douloureuses and other ailments. She knew he was guarding her and she appreciated it, especially right after the attack; but now he had been called back into service. Shouldn't he be guarding the King instead of her? 

“The King is guarded by a dozen of the best men in France, Madame.”, Fabien had answered and helped her on the horse. Once in Paris, he led the way. Of course he knew the way, he had grown up on the streets after his father had died. They silently made their way through the maze-like brothel. A few women were waiting with Mathilde and her bébé, one of them hunched over and dry heaving in an alcove. 

“Help me get her on the bed.”, she ordered Fabien around and as always he hopped to it. He made a good assistant. She fished the ear trumped out of the satchel and held it to the woman’s stomage. Definitely a heartbeat. 

“Yes, you're with child, Angélique.”, she announced her verdict. And it was a verdict for the young woman who began to cry that she neither could afford a child nor did she want one to begin with. Abortion was highly illegal, not to mention an act against God and her lover was the Head of the King's Police Force. She sighed. Sometimes she wished she could do something, help the mothers more, but she couldn't do anything but hope that the child didn't want a life like that and died by itself. It seemed, the mother did the same. Claudine knew she shouldn't think like that, wanting to go against Gods will and the laws of France. 

She gave some fresh peppermint to the mother to help against the sickness as well as some of the mercury tincture for the rash and had one of the other woman help her off. She listened to and examined the other women one by one, gave out medicines and salves against rashes and injuries. She even had to treat a broken collarbone. Some of the men visiting the women here were brutal cochons. Finally Mathilde was the only one waiting, little Pauline crying and redfaced in her arms. She carefully took the child and laid it on the bed, examining its small body. After lightly touching it on the stomage, the wailing intensified and Claudine had her answer. She gave the mother a salve for colic and showed her how and where to apply it. Claudine then gave the baby to Fabien, while she gestured for the mother to lay down on the bed. If he insisted on coming along, he could make himself useful. She gave her lover a stern look and he turned around again while she examined the woman, then gave her some mercury to treat the maladie polonaise she had contracted a while back and was flaring up again, making her body all achy. 

“You, docteur, are god sent. Just like Father Etienne. He will take Angéliques one, too, if nothing can be done.”

“The same Father Etienne, that pulled the attacker off of you at the herbalist, Madame?” Fabien asked her. Claudine nodded. 

“Yes, he runs an refuge for orphans and families, just outside Paris. St. Genevièves. They take children like mine, with mothers that work on their backs. They feed them, cloth them and teach them a trade.” Mathilde told him, gesturing for her baby back. Very carefully, Claudine was pleased to note, he placed the baby back in the mothers arms. Despite his work, he was a good man and she was glad to have him in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay healthy everyone and please leave a comment


	4. Dead babies

It was expected of him to move back into the palace, now that he was back in service, yet he found himself more often than not, still staying at the doctors house. His office seemed dark and his small suite empty without her. And Claudine refused to stay longer than necessary for fear of being poisoned or otherwise caught up in an intrigue. She would still help him examine corpse as well as treating worker, servants and prisoners alike. He still didn't like it at all, but she did as she wanted and nothing could stop her. Technically, he could stop her treatment of the prisoners but he admired her courage and dedication to her work. 

Even now, Claudine was only here in his bureau to help him with the small corpses, workers had found in a mass grave in the forest. They were definitely human in shape and form from what he could tell and Claudine estimated their age all under two years old. Although he had disposed of unwanted bastard children before, he found himself horrified at the wound these corpses and in one case skeleton showed. There was no need for that kind of violence when one could just drown the babies like kittens. All of the corpses had had undergone similar torture as far as they could see and Claudine had mentioned that they had probably been alive when the bodies had been mutilated. He could see, that she was struggling to hold back her tears at that realisation. 

“We will find them and punish them.” he tried to reassure her while he sat down next to her and took hold off her hand. She nodded, gave his hand a quick squeeze to signal that she was okay – not that he really believed her, because the scene before him disturbed even him – and got back to work, as did he. 

This was the work of a truly sick mind, someone who had access to babies that wouldn't be missed. He didn't like where his thoughts went after that conclusion. He had never met the man but this Etienne Priest could be the one supplying the babies to who ever did the torturing for what ever reasons. The whores were grateful not to have their bébés around, knowing them in a better place and wouldn't ask after them. And if they did, the Priest could tell them a nice fable about their life in the refuge, as they seldom, if ever left Paris. 

Knowing from his own experiences he had to have proof before accusing one of the clergy of anything, he turned his attention back to the corpses and part-skeletons. They were in various stages of decay. What ever sinister thing was going on, it was going on for a few years now, according to the doctor. 

Henri, one of the guards he had stationed at the mass grave came in, pale and shaking in fright, bringing a small chest with him that he put on his desk. He crossed himself then explained it was found inside the mass grave. He dismissed the guard and took a closer look at the chest. It was decorated with inverted holy crosses and he had a sinking feeling in stomage as he broke the lock of the chest open. 

“A pentagram”, He recognised the shape of the silver symbol inside. Claudine looked up at him, came over to catch a look inside the small chest and crossed herself. He did the same, more to ward off bad luck than anything else. His belief in God had been beaten out of him by the cruel monk who had headed the orphanage he had found himself after his father had died. Someone, it seemed, was supplying babies to a satanic sect. Well, the King is not going to like this at all, he thought. 

And he still had no real lead. Besides some hunch about this Father Etienne and his refuge St Geneviève. He had never heard of such and he knew many if not all of them, it was where he got the best men for the guard; there and occasionally directly from the streets of the cour de miracle. Young men willing to fight and die for anyone giving them food, coin and a purpose. 

After talking to Bishop Bossuet and inquiring about the refuge, it was clear that his initial suspicion of Father Etienne were correct. The man was unhinged, had begun to worship the Satan as his Dark Prince and was therefore excommunicated. That he found shelter in the cour de miracles was dangerous.

Sadly, the detection of the grave and the discovery of Etienne Guibourgs sinister plans was a few days to late for Mathildes child. The Bishop had advised him to act fast and catch the false Priest before the next full moon as the rituals used by Guibourg years ago were all done under a full moon. 

“That fly duchess of yours accosted me today. I don't think her husband is very kind to her, poor woman. But she gave me a message for you.”, Claudine said one evening after she had treated a couple of servants in the palace. She truly was an good and kind woman. De Foix, the son of the poisoner already executed, their family heavily fined for his mothers betrayal and treachery against the King and his Minister and then banned was seen at Court again and with money to spare. Yet he was almost always losing money at the gambling tables in the salons, according to Sophie. If he remembered correctly, he had a maid who was infatuated with him. Was Gaston De Foix the one blackmailing the nobles? He made a note to have someone casually observe them and try to find evidence before he turned his attention back to Claudine. She seemed preoccupied with what happened in the last days and was determined to make her relax and forget about her worries for a while.


	5. A dead fetus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was this title or "solving l'affaire de poisons" but I wanted to go with the dead theme for the chapter titles as all the others (except the first one) have it, so there you go

Fabien was frustrated and under a lot of stress. The main suspect and their only lead of the satanic sect, Father Etienne had disappeared and time was running out. It was only a week now, until the next full moon. No one had seen him since he had taken Mathilde's child with him and it didn't help that no amount of violence changed that fact. He never told her; but sometimes he didn't clean his hands enough or there was blood splatter on his clothes. 

And yesterday there had been another murder, strangulation this time. Both she and Fabien had been called up, it seemed Bontemps knew that Fabien used her medical expertise to help and didn't raise an eyebrow at her presence. It was Lady Solange; Madame de Montespans Lady-in-Waiting. Someone, most certainly a woman or man with small hands had strangled her.

“She must have seen something she wasn't meant to.”, Fabien had mused and the King, the King was frightened and furious that Fabien still hadn't found who was killing the nobles at Court. It hadn't been nice to watch and she felt bad for Fabien. He just took all the blame and went calmly, stoically almost, back to work. That evening they had once again discussed leaving after the satanic priest and the poisoner or poisoners at Court were found. They even made plans over wine before going to sleep in each others arms. 

And today, when Fabien was out again, following his leads to find either the missing satanic Priest or whoever poisoned and murdered the nobles at court, Angélique came to see her and to beg her to do something about the child inside her. Claudine wished she could do something, but everything she was ever taught said it was wrong. Sadly, Angélique had no cousin in Lyon and Father Etienne was certainly not an option anymore; with what she knew now. She was a doctor, wasn't she supposed to help? To act in a way that was best for her patient. But her patient was pregnant which meant two patients in one. Did she help the mother or the unborn child? And if she chose the child, didn't that mean she was responsible for it living with a mother that didn't want it and couldn't really provide for her? Perhaps such a life was Gods plan for Angéliques child? Her faith in God told her to do nothing but to reassure the mother she would have to have it and with God's help it would all work out. She had enough knowledge to do an abortion safely and without the mother dying, especially at the stage Angélique was, the woman was only about eight to nine weeks along, the baby little more than some kind of a grotesque golem. Some herbs could induce an abortion, but most of those were toxic for the mother as well. Would she be able to calculate the dosage to make it safe for the mother?

Startled she realised she already had made a decision in her mind. Had God given her the ability to help other women like that? Or was such knowledge a forbidden fruit like the one Eva had plucked from the tree of knowledge? She didn't know but in front of her, there was a woman needing her help. And so helping she would. She asked Angélique to come back the next day as she needed to gather some mugwort or motherwort and yarrow. She still had some pennyroyal she used herself as to not get pregnant herself. She had no plan as of now to get pregnant, she loved her work far to much to be shackled to anyone, even to Fabien who would probably make a good and decent husband. When she came home that night, her lover was already back, ranting about the King and his unreasonable demands. Etienne Guibourg still remained unfound and Fabien as well as the King were losing patience.

“Have you tried asking one of the whore?” Claudine asked him. From the look he shot her, yes, he had already asked them. And none had talked. They lived by the laws of the street where si tu poucaves, on te marave ruled. No one would talk if she wanted to survive and she and Fabien didn't know how many helpers the satanic priest had among the low-lifes.

“I'll ask. Angélique is coming by tomorrow.” she offered. 

“The pregnant one?”

“Yes. She doesn't want it.”, she answered and gestured towards the herbs she had gathered this evening. His eyes widened in surprise. By now, he knew what these herbs could be used for. 

“Be careful, Madame.”, he warned her and she was surprised that was all he had to comment on the matter. When she pressed for an explanation, he said that he had done the same service for the King and his family, getting rid of unwanted bastard children and it was basically the same. As for her faith, she needed to deal with it between her and God and it wasn't his place to tell her what to do as his relationship to God was complicated. He was no priest.

She prepared the herbs into a tea and gave the woman the mixture with the instructions to take it twice daily for a week. She also got the information needed for Fabien out of Angélique about Father Etienne. Two days later, late at night Fabien came home with little Pauline in his arms. The little girl had a nasty cut on her arm and she cleaned and dressed the wound with some boiled clean cloth. Fabien had sent out his men to bring Mathilde to get her child but apparently she wasn't interested in having her daughter back. She didn't have the money to take the child to Lyon to her cousin. Claudine reluctantly agreed they could mind little Pauline until Fabien found a home for her but she made it clear it was not a long term arrangement. She didn't dislike children but she had a business to run, patients to look after and wasn't particularly interested in motherhood. 

As luck would have it, there was strong evidence that the satanic sect was behind supplying the nobles at Court with the poisons and one of the acolytes of Guibourg had talked after being persuaded by Fabien, giving up names. The next few days Fabien was busy arresting people and trying to find out who had poisoned her. It turned out her poisoning was done by the false priest himself; Fabien had come back that evening shaken and she had to reassure him that she was still alive. It was not the first time she had taken charge in the bedroom. 

Afterwards he had confessed to her, that he had tortured the man, using his newly medicinal knowledge to make sure the villain didn't die. It wasn't the first time Fabien had tortured, but for the first time, it was not for information, but revenge. The King would likely condemn the Satanist priest to prison as he had been clergy, and so he should rot there. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about her lover using her knowledge of healing for torture.


	6. Epilogue

It hadn't been easy getting the King to let him go after the affaire des poisons had been solved and the guilty either sentenced to a fine (most of the nobles), prison (Etienne Guibourg and his acolytes) or death as Madam Agathe had been. Her Book of Names had been very meticulously written and thus very helpful to root out the evil and corrupt at the palace. Only one had escaped or rather he had let her get away, without even the King knowing she had been on the list. He had failed to protect her and she had had to find a way to protect herself from her husband. 

The success of him solving the poisonings had worked against him and the King had proven stubborn. It was only after getting kidnapped and tortured by an angry mob to blackmail the King into releasing prisoners that the King had agreed to let him go. The doctor had been efficient in healing him and had kept it together until he was out of the worst. She had only broken down afterwards and needed reassuring that he was still alive, whole and back at her side. 

They had left Paris as soon as he was fit enough to travel as the mood of the city and its people had turned angry and desperate and the violence got worse. They both agreed it was not a place to raise a child. Little Pauline was still with them as they hadn't found a family willing to take in a child born in such sin as she was and he had refused to give her to an orphanages, knowing what horrors could await a child in such a place. The doctor had initially been against the idea as she had too much work to do with patients knocking on her door at all times and she categorically refused to give up her work to raise a child. 

As soon as they had found their new home in Arles, a small mansion once belonging to Claudines father due to the ennoblement for being the Kings physician, she had set up a surgery again and the community had been grateful to have a doctor who didn't care about a persons status. It helped that she still had the Kings paper declaring her a man. Once again she treated everyone knocking on their doors, even those who the superstitious believed had the devil inside them, often falling to the ground and shaking uncontrollably. 

Meanwhile he had taken care of the little girl, learning about babies and toddlers along the way as Pauline grew up. Both of their stipend from their work for the King would last them a long time as they were used to live quite frugally apart from their mutual love for books. They had discussed hiring a maid or someone to watch over Pauline so Fabien could once again work as a detective. He decided against it for now, wanting to spend time with the daughter of his heart as well as letting his past injuries heal, giving security to his wife in all but the vow for she would not marry at all, when she went to the unsavoury parts of Arles to care for the people there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are at the end of this story... I have some notes on how to go on further here; but right now I'm working on a Madam Agathe centric story because she is a cool villan esp. after reading about the person they based her character on


End file.
